Lyn H. Lofland: Exemplary Symbolic Interactionist

Abstract

Lyn H. Lofland is an exemplary symbolic interactionist. I support this claim by considering her research contributions and their continuing significance for interactionists. This discussion is organized around a comparison of Lofland's scholarship in her many articles and books (A World of Strangers, The Craft of Dying, and The Public Realm) against the ideals presented in her own evaluation of the work of Spencer E. Cahill. I further contend that Lofland's research program demonstrates how interactionists should operate with curiosity and humility. In closing, I argue that her work provides guidance for how interactionists can contend with perennial concerns that our work is astructural and irrelevant.